Scalia is the most intellectually awesome Justice. Nobody ever talks about what Stephen Breyer says.

The fact that the left won't put its own intellectually awesome candidates up for Supreme Court confirmation (Tribe, others whose names I cannot recall at this moment) speaks volumes about the true political climate in this country.

And, by the way, I know the right has put up some real duds. But not Scalia.

It's unfortunate that Clarence Thomas is (1) an obvious affirmative action hire, (2) hated by many for complicated political reasons involving the color of skin combined with his politics, and (3) forever in the shadow of Scalia.

Thomas is the best writer on the Court today and his dissents are wonderfully eloquent and, unlike Scalia's, sarcasm free.

Harry Reid does not admire - or not admire - any justices. They just are, or are not, problems to be overcome.There's been several articles in this vein about Scalia. Reid must have seen one or more of them and was quoting from what he could remember. His aides must have told him to stay positive. Note that he did not answer the second part of the question, but switched to the medical insurance bill.

I'll bet Reid actually believes whatever line he's spewing...at the moment he's spewing it. Then he drops it and it's on to the next line. Like Obama. And I'll bet he thinks of himself as a good person. Like Obama. And of course his mother loves him, or loved him. Like Obama. They're both good people. And innocent. In their own eyes. The damage they do is just something that happens and has nothing to do with them. Not the real them.

One of my favorite Harry Reidisms was when he was on the Tavis Smiley show talking about how he learned how to swim in a whorehouse swimming pool.

We had 13 houses of ill repute in Searchlight when I was growing up. One teacher taught all eight grades. It was kind of an interesting situation, as I look back. I learned -- it's interesting, one of the bordello owners, nice man, Willie Martello, he was good to the kids, in Searchlight, it was a town of 200, 250 people.

And he built in that town at back of his little casino-bordello, a beautiful swimming pool for the girls. The prostitutes were referred to as girls. And one afternoon a week he cleared that out, the girls weren't there, and the little waifs of Searchlight swam there, would play around the water. That's where I learned to swim, is in a whorehouse swimming pool. (Laughter.)

Hehehe...that Willie Martello, a nice man who exploited young women in the sex industry but he was good to the kids! It all comes down to the childrens!

The most beautiful sound I ever heardAll the beautiful sounds of the world in a single wordScaliaI just met a justice named ScaliaAnd suddenly that nameWill never be the sameTo meScaliaI just ass kissed a justice named ScaliaAnd suddenly I foundHow wonderful a soundCan beScaliaSay it loud and there's music playingSay it soft and it's almost like praying

The Founding Fathers roll in their proverbial graves pondering the Scalia court--in the current manifestation 6 catholics, and 3 jews. The recent Citizens United case may be one of the most rightist decisions of the Supreme Court in decades

Let's not forget Scalia was approved unanimously back in the Reagan era. No problem for those so-called liberals. Even Ted Kennedy, who detested Rehnquist, approved of Don Scalia .

Those who still care about democracy might peruse Jefferson's thoughts on Marshall's Supreme Court, especially that curious doctrine of judicial review

I can't imagine that there exist many voters who (1) know who Reid is and what kind of Senate Majority Leader he's been; (2) know who Scalia is and what kind of Justice he's been; and yet (3) can accept that Harry Reid is nevertheless knowledgeable and sincere in professing his admiration for Scalia.

Nevertheless, what if he named Kennedy or one of the anti-liberty jurists?

then he has a liability when someone points to his admiration for someone whose record is terrible.

BTW, Clarence Thomas is probably the smartest guy ever to wear the robes. He's an amazing justice whose writings are excellent. He doesn't semi-campaign during oral examination, which is also awesome.

I know Reid famously bashed Thomas as stupid, citing Scalia's superior ruling in a particular case that Scalia hadn't even written a decision over. Dems are weird that way. They have to pretend Thomas is much less than he is because Thomas is perhaps the most extraordinary mind in our capitol. I couldn't care less that Thomas is black, though I'm sure some lefties sure mind.